The present invention relates to appliances, such as ranges, cooktops, and the like and more particularly to burner bowls located on the cooktop surface.
Household appliances, such as ranges, cooktops and the like have electric burners located on the surface of the cooktop. Each burner is provided with a burner bowl which is mounted in the cooktop surface beneath the heating unit itself. The purpose of the burner bowl is to reflect the heat back up onto the cooking vessel sitting on the burner. In general, chrome burner bowls reflect a large majority of the heat produced by the coil elements back onto the cooking vessel. The reflection by the bowl of the downward heat back up onto the pan prevents some of the heat from being conducted to the surface of the cooktop.
Since the cooktop surface of the range is commonly touched by the user and utensils are placed thereon, safety considerations dictate that the cooktop surface be kept relatively cool. Also, another concern, with the advent of black and other color cooktop surfaces used in designer kitchens, is that the chrome burner bowls have been found to be non-aesthetically pleasing.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,079,408 relates to an insulated drip pan which consists of an upper pan and lower pan with insulation in between. The two pans and the insulation cooperating together reduce both the time and energy required to cook food in a cooking vessel located on the range. The insulating material prevents heat radiated downward from the heating element from being radiated out into the area surrounding the drip pan assembly. Instead, heat radiated into the drip pan assembly is radiated back up toward the cooking vessel located on the heating element thereby decreasing both heating time and energy required to heat the cooking vessel.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,862,795 relates to a reflector pan mounted beneath a grill unit. The reflector has a slot on its outer edge to draw cooling air under the reflector. The reflector pan has sidewalls to shield the area laterally adjacent to the grill area from the radiant energy of the heating element. The reflector pan has slots formed therein to permit air flow therethrough. This arrangement allows air to be drawn by convection from above the cooktop member downwardly through the air gap into the area between the drip pan and the reflector pan when the heating element is energized. The cooling effect of this air flow, together with the radiation shielding effect of the reflector pan sidewalls, attempts to prevent excessive ambient temperatures on the cooktop surface adjacent to the grill area and in the area between the sidewalls of the drip pan. The arrangement is used to protect adjacent counter tops and cabinetry.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,706,015 relates to an electric heating device having a chamber beneath the heating element. The chamber has a flat bottom and a polished sheet metal plate located above the flat bottom with an air gap therebetween.